Minocqua area fishing report
Nice days, but, cold mornings have been the past week’s biggest drawback. Morning temps in the 40’s dropping surface temps on some lakes back into the 60’s. Afternoons and evening have been the best times to fish overall.
Largemouth Bass: Good – Very good. Even this species has been affected by the cold nights. Getting down into the weeds, using heavy jigs with Sweet Beavers, Wacky worming with added weight or just a big leech on a heavy weedless jig has been needed for morning bass anglers. As waters warming, fish are becoming more active during the day. Try pre-rigged plastic worms over weed tops. By warm evenings, top-water action on plastic frogs picking up.
Bluegills: Good-Very Good. As with the largemouth fishing has been best during afternoons/evenings. Poppers during evenings on top! Small leeches, worms, mini-mite jigs and 1” tubes tipped with waxies in 6-10’ weeds.
Smallmouth Bass: Good. Off-shore humps, some sand grass flats. Drop-shotting Berkley Gulp minnows (2 ½”), Jackall Crosstaill shads/clone fry, Yum Craws as well as big leeches or soft shells best. Tube jigs working when smallies found shallower along 12-16’ weed lines.
Perch: Fair-Good. Try In cabbage of 5-9’ using ½ crawlers, medium leeches or medium fatheads. Work sand grass flats of 18-26’ using frozen soft shells on Lindy style rigs or slip-float rigs.
Pike: Fair-Good. Cold mornings have even hampered this bite. Clear skies and little winds has not helped. Soaking live chubs/suckers of 4-6” best when bite slows. Swimbaits (4”) worked over weeds, slower retrieved blade baits (Boonies, Chatterbaits) picking up fish later in the day. Comet minnows (#4), Daredevles also a good choice over 6-10’ weed beds.
Crappies: Fair. Live bait best with cooler temps. Small/medium fatheads in tall cabbage of 8-12’ fished 1-2’ down from weed tops.
Musky: Fair. Weed related fish tough to come by, especially early in the day. Ripping plastic baits over 20-28’ sand grass and spending more time later in the day best.
Walleye: Fair. Cold mornings is hurting early risers. Evenings, after dark has been best this past week. Work outside weed lines of 14-18’ using crawlers, redtails and XL leeches. Try deep humps topping at 22-26’ Lindy rigging crawlers. After dark, move up into 8-14’ weeds using lighted slip-floats to suspend XL leeches.
If we can believe the forecast, night-time temps should improve. Daytime highs into the 80’s should bring water temps solidly into the 70’s improving the bites all across the board….believe it as we see it, been fooled before.
Kurt Justice
Kurt’s Island Sport Shop